Battery cell for an electric vehicle battery pack

Abstract

This disclosure provides a battery cell for an electric vehicle battery pack. The battery cell can include a housing containing an electrolyte material, a first polarity terminal disposed at a lateral end of the battery cell, and a buckling plate disposed at the lateral end of the battery cell. The buckling plate can include a planar portion and a domed portion. The domed portion can deflect the electrolyte material in response to a first predetermined threshold pressure within the battery cell. The battery cell can include a melting component including an inner ring electrically coupled to a perimeter of the domed portion of the buckling plate, and an outer ring electrically coupled to the electrolyte material. A plurality of spokes can couple the inner ring with the outer ring and can melt in response to either a predetermined threshold temperature or a predetermined threshold current.

1 . A battery cell of a battery pack to power an electric vehicle, comprising:
 a housing containing an electrolyte material;   a first polarity terminal disposed at a lateral end of the battery cell;   a buckling plate disposed at the lateral end of the battery cell and electrically connected with the first polarity terminal, the buckling plate comprising a planar portion and a domed portion, the domed portion having a convex part extending toward the electrolyte material, the domed portion structured to deflect away from the electrolyte material in response to a first predetermined threshold pressure within the battery cell; and   a melting component comprising:
 an inner ring surrounding and electrically coupled with a perimeter of the domed portion of the buckling plate; 
 an outer ring surrounding the inner ring and electrically coupled with the electrolyte material, and; 
 a plurality of spokes coupling the inner ring with the outer ring, the plurality of spokes to melt in response to at least one of a predetermined threshold temperature and a predetermined threshold current within the battery cell. 
   
     
     
         2 . The battery cell of  claim 1 , comprising:
 an insulating layer disposed between at least a portion of the melting component and at least a portion of the buckling plate to electrically insulate the plurality of spokes and the outer ring of the melting component from the buckling plate.   
     
     
         3 . The battery cell of  claim 2 , comprising:
 the insulating layer including a polymer material.   
     
     
         4 . The battery cell of  claim 1 , comprising
 the domed portion of the buckling plate having at least one scoring line to cause the domed portion of the buckling plate to rupture in response to a second predetermined threshold pressure within the battery cell, the second predetermined threshold pressure greater than the first predetermined threshold pressure.   
     
     
         5 . The battery cell of  claim 1 , comprising:
 the inner ring of the melting component spot welded to a perimeter edge of the domed portion of the buckling plate.   
     
     
         6 . The battery cell of  claim 1 , comprising:
 an edge of the buckling plate crimped around a portion of the first polarity terminal.   
     
     
         7 . The battery cell of  claim 1 , comprising:
 a gasket formed from an electrically insulating material to seal the electrolyte material within the housing of the battery cell.   
     
     
         8 . The battery cell of  claim 1 , comprising:
 a gasket formed from an electrically insulating material to seal the electrolyte material within the housing of the battery cell, wherein an edge of the buckling plate and an edge of the first terminal are crimped around a portion of the gasket.   
     
     
         9 . The battery cell of  claim 1 , comprising:
 the melting component comprising at least one of bismuth and lead.   
     
     
         10 . The battery cell of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the predetermined threshold temperature is between 120 degrees C. and 140 degrees C.   
     
     
         11 . The battery cell of  claim 1 , comprising:
 at least one of the predetermined threshold current between 50 A and 100 A and the first predetermined threshold pressure is between 60 PSI and 500 PSI.   
     
     
         12 . The battery cell of  claim 1 , comprising:
 the outer ring of the melting component having a diameter between 15 millimeters and 21 millimeters.   
     
     
         13 . The battery cell of  claim 1 , comprising:
 the outer ring of the melting component having a width between 1 millimeter and 5 millimeters.   
     
     
         14 . The battery cell of  claim 1 , comprising:
 the domed portion of the buckling plate having a thickness between 0.5 millimeters and 0.7 millimeters.   
     
     
         15 . The battery cell of  claim 1 , comprising:
 the domed portion of the buckling plate having a diameter between 5 millimeters and 9 millimeters; and   the inner ring of the melting component having a diameter equal to the diameter of the domed portion of the buckling plate.   
     
     
         16 . The battery cell of  claim 1 , comprising:
 the buckling plate having a diameter between 19 millimeters and 23 millimeters.   
     
     
         17 . The battery cell of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the battery cell is part of a battery pack that includes a plurality of additional battery cells.   
     
     
         18 . The battery cell of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the battery cell is part of a battery pack that includes a plurality of additional battery cells disposed in an electric vehicle.   
     
     
         19 . A method, comprising:
 providing a battery cell of a battery pack to power an electric vehicle, the battery cell comprising:   a housing containing an electrolyte material;   a first polarity terminal disposed at a lateral end of the battery cell;   a buckling plate disposed at the lateral end of the battery cell and electrically connected with the first polarity terminal, the buckling plate comprising a planar portion and a domed portion, the domed portion having a convex part extending toward the electrolyte material, the domed portion structured to deflect away from the electrolyte material in response to a first predetermined threshold pressure within the battery cell; and   a melting component comprising:
 an inner ring surrounding and electrically coupled with a perimeter of the domed portion of the buckling plate; 
 an outer ring surrounding the inner ring and electrically coupled with the electrolyte material, and; 
   
       a plurality of spokes coupling the inner ring with the outer ring, the plurality of spokes to melt in response to at least one of a predetermined threshold temperature and a predetermined threshold current within the battery cell. 
     
     
         20 . A method of providing battery cells for battery packs of electric vehicles, comprising:
 forming a housing for a battery cell of a battery pack having a plurality of battery cells, the housing having a body region and a head region disposed at a lateral end of the battery cell;   housing, within the body region of the battery cell, an electrolyte material;   disposing, at the head region of the housing, a first polarity terminal;   disposing, at the head region of the housing, a buckling plate having a planar portion and a domed portion, the domed portion having a convex part extending the electrolyte material, the domed portion configured to deflect away from the electrolyte material in response to a first predetermined threshold pressure within the battery cell;   disposing, at the head region of the housing, a melting component to electrically couple an inner ring of the melting component to the domed portion of the buckling plate and to electrically couple an outer ring of the melting component to the electrolyte material, the melting component having a plurality of spokes coupling the inner ring with the outer ring, the plurality of spokes configured to melt in response to either a predetermined threshold temperature or a predetermined threshold current within the battery cell; and   crimping a perimeter edge of the buckling plate around the first polarity terminal to electrically couple the buckling plate to the first polarity terminal.